My story (so far):

 

My experience with food and eating, just like everyone else's, is personal and complicated. As a kid, I had no interest in food or nutrition beyond just eating. Then, as I started swimming and went on to swim in college, I recognized the need to fuel for sport. And, I also realized the difficulty of doing so. The long practices and busy schedule combined with the toxic messages around food and body and my own insecurities as a sensitive soul who wanted to please people led to my own challenges with food/body. When I transitioned to life after college, I was working as a collegiate swim coach and competing internationally in triathlons. I was also living in New York City, enjoying exposure to new cuisines and flavors. After leaving NYC for upstate NY to coach at Colgate, I grew my own veggies and explored food in a more hands-on way. Through these experiences around food and by engaging in therapy and reflection, I was able to work through my own relationship with eating and body. Because my passion for eating, food and nutrition started to overtake my passion for swimming, I pivoted to a career in food and nutrition.

 

I wanted to understand the complexities of food and why we eat the way we do.

 

Since getting my Masters in Nutrition Communication and becoming a dietitian, I have had the experience of working in food services, higher education, the hospital setting, private practice and more. 

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I have been honored to engage in wonderful work experiences the last 10 years, especially:

• Providing clinical nutrition therapy to a wide range of clients from those with chronic health conditions, to folks undergoing lung transplant, to athletes running marathons to pregnant women struggling with symptoms of pregnancy.

• Engaging in menu and recipe writing for university food services serving 23,000 meals per day.

• Developing Eating Disorder Prevention programming for higher education, and co-leading creation of Guidelines for Students Struggling with Eating, Exercise and Body image Concerns at Boston College.

• With a therapist in counseling services at Boston College, leading a group for students struggling with bulimia and binge eating that resulted in reduced severity of attendees.

• Co-developing and teaching curriculum to college students focused on radical self care and Intuitive Eating aimed at eating disorder risk reduction.

 

This varied experience leads me to bring perspective to nutrition therapy. In addition to assessing the nutritional needs of clients, I consider the healing aspects of food - cooking, eating with others, tradition, culture, and more. I enjoy helping people gain a sense of adventure and ease with food, as they also meet their needs.

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I care about being an authentic human who approaches nutrition therapy with humor, compassion, and caring firmness. The therapeutic relationship is a driver of change, and it is an honor to hear client's stories and witness their growth. 

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